Begging bowls turn cash chests, tramps loan funds for big returns

HYDERABAD: Around 100 beggars in the city have turned

financiers for hawkers and small traders

by lending money on interest. These beggars are lending

money earned by begging

at religious places.

Police and NGO sources revealed around 100 beggars in the city are lending money on interest in Pathergatti, Purana Pul, Jummerat Bazar and Madina circle. They lend money to hawkers and small businesses establishments to purchase products. The borrowers return the money with interest within 24 hours after all their goods are sold.

Beggars lend ₹5,000- ₹10,000 per day to the vendors, who return the money with an additional amount ranging from ₹500-₹1,000. Generally, these beggars secretly lend the money mostly during early hours of the day or late at night.

While the police is patrolling, one person keeps an eye on the cops and informs the same to the beggars who are lending money, so that they don’t get caught. Most of the beggars, who lend money, stay in a slum under Faluknama police station limits.

The major begging spots in the city are

Dargah Yousufain Sharifain

in Nampally, the stretch from Mecca Masjid to Pathergatti, Golconda Dargah, Dargah Hazrat Baba Sharfuddin popularly known as Pahadi Shareef Dargah, the temple near Kachiguda railway Station, Birla Mandir, Astha Laxmi temple near LB Nagar, Karmanghat temple and other religious places, apart from major traffic junctions and public places.

The officials of Telangana State prison department said they are identifying the beggars and rehabilitating them at Ananda Ashram of Chanchalguda central jail. “As on today, there are 178 beggars in the Ananda Ashram. On Sunday, the count of beggars stood at 202, but some of the beggars left the place after their family members approached us and submitted an identification proof, apart from signing a document,” said a policeman, looking after the beggars at Ananda Ashram.

One of the beggars was arguing with a police officer to let him go from the Ashram. “I know some influential people in the society, who help me collect and lend money,” said one of the beggars.

The prison department is co-ordinating with the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and police stations to rehabilitate beggars at the Ananda Ashram.